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NEW ORLEANS – Don't blame the trade for the Mavericks' current predicament.

Don't delude yourself into thinking all would be fine if this team still had Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop. Other issues have come to light over the last two months.

Still, as the Mavericks try to deal with the onslaught that is Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, it's fair to ask what we should expect out of Jason Kidd.

Winning the individual duel with Paul isn't an option. Kidd was being honest before the series started when he said the Hornets star was the better point guard at this stage of their careers.

But let's be clear. Kidd was brought in here to make a difference. He was acquired to make those around him better. He must counter what Paul has done and impose his will on this series for the Mavericks to have a chance.

"I've got to do what I do best," Kidd said. "I have to try to control the tempo and somehow try to get my fingerprints on the 48 minutes of the game."

That's hard to do when the Mavericks can't get their hands on the ball in the open court.

Kidd is at his best in transition. The first quarter of Game 1 was the latest example. Kidd had five assists, and the Mavericks scored six points on the fast break to take a 26-19 lead. Guess how many points the Mavericks scored on the fast break in the next seven quarters?

If you went with 10 points, you win – or more accurately, New Orleans wins. Kidd has had only 12 assists since the first quarter of Game 1.

None of this has anything to do with coach Avery Johnson keeping Kidd under his thumb. It has everything to do with the Mavericks' inability to play defense.

New Orleans has shot 59.2 percent from the field in the last six quarters and turned the ball over only eight times. Still wonder why the Mavericks are down 0-2?

"We can't run taking the ball out of the nets," Kidd said. "We've got to find a way to get stops, to get out and run. That was one of our strengths.

"In this series, we haven't really had that opportunity."

Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks' only consistent offensive presence in the first two games, echoes that opinion.

"It's hard to get him the ball in transition if we have to take the ball out of bounds all the time," Nowitzki said. "If we have to take it out, our transition is basically gone. That's when he's at his best, slashing and really running the team.

"Hopefully, in Game 3 we can get some stops and speed the game up some, and we'll be all right."

The Mavericks must do a better job of defending the pick-and-roll. They must crowd forward David West and do a better job of rotating to the Hornets' shooters. They must be aggressive rather than passive on the defensive end and keep New Orleans off the offensive boards.

If the Mavericks do all that, then Kidd has a chance to get out and run and have an impact on this series.

If the Mavericks don't do that, he'll be just another defender who is too slow to keep up with Paul and doesn't shoot well enough to dominate in a half-court set.

The irony isn't lost on Mavericks fans.

The Mavs were eliminated in the first round last season by a point guard in Baron Davis who was too big and strong for Harris to defend. Now, they are down 0-2 to a point guard who is too quick for Kidd to defend.

But again, Kidd was brought in to give this team a leader in the postseason. His advice:

"I think we've got to relax," Kidd said. "We're going back home. We've got to be us."

Whoever that is these days.